Hi Salty,
I suggest building up your dives and note what other divers and DM's are using. It really comes down to personal preference, so do a little more homework by searching the forum for particular brands or pieces of equipment. The board is loaded with info under particular topics and or brands. I would also consider what can be serviced in the area you will be living.
I was lucky and bought most of my gear online. I agree with Codman, package deals are very good (for regs). Getting use to how your regs breath is essential with regard to comfort when diving deep and in general. You will also begin to know what is normal (i.e. sounds or if something is wrong). Having this comfort level and knowledge of your own regs is very useful. Rental gear is not always maintained well. You will learn about many horror stories regarding this on the board.
For BCD, it took me a while but I bought a Mares Icon. I really like it. The sizes tend to run big, I realize now a medium would have been better than the large I bought. Stay away from Airtrim as you will want to have something more mainstream students will be more likely to have (i.e. regular John Travolta Saturday Night Fever type inflation devices).
Don't forget an SMB. Learning how to deploy it now and practicing is a great skill to have. It's cheap and should be part of everyone's kit IMO.
You might want to check with the outfit you are going to DMT with. They may offer a good deal, but shop it around just in case.
Fins, consider what feels best and something good in current.
Don't forget a good logbook. As you move up in dives the starter one may not be best. Make the switch early to something more professional.
I like scubatoys.com. Not sure on shipping to S Korea. If you have a trip to the US it may be cheaper to order it to a friend and pick it up and bring it back. I was able to do this several times.
Good luck,
Arizona
I suggest building up your dives and note what other divers and DM's are using. It really comes down to personal preference, so do a little more homework by searching the forum for particular brands or pieces of equipment. The board is loaded with info under particular topics and or brands. I would also consider what can be serviced in the area you will be living.
I was lucky and bought most of my gear online. I agree with Codman, package deals are very good (for regs). Getting use to how your regs breath is essential with regard to comfort when diving deep and in general. You will also begin to know what is normal (i.e. sounds or if something is wrong). Having this comfort level and knowledge of your own regs is very useful. Rental gear is not always maintained well. You will learn about many horror stories regarding this on the board.
For BCD, it took me a while but I bought a Mares Icon. I really like it. The sizes tend to run big, I realize now a medium would have been better than the large I bought. Stay away from Airtrim as you will want to have something more mainstream students will be more likely to have (i.e. regular John Travolta Saturday Night Fever type inflation devices).
Don't forget an SMB. Learning how to deploy it now and practicing is a great skill to have. It's cheap and should be part of everyone's kit IMO.
You might want to check with the outfit you are going to DMT with. They may offer a good deal, but shop it around just in case.
Fins, consider what feels best and something good in current.
Don't forget a good logbook. As you move up in dives the starter one may not be best. Make the switch early to something more professional.
I like scubatoys.com. Not sure on shipping to S Korea. If you have a trip to the US it may be cheaper to order it to a friend and pick it up and bring it back. I was able to do this several times.
Good luck,
Arizona
